Cotton-planter.



Patented Feb. 1, 1910.

4 SHEETS-'SHEET l,

J. LARK.

GOTTON PLANTER.

APPLICATION PILED JULY z2, 1909.

J. CLARK. COTTON PLANTER. APPLIGATION FILED JULY 22, 1909.

Patented Feb. 1, 1910.

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Witwen@ M J. CLARK.

COTTON PLANTER.

APPLIGATION Umm JULY z2, 1909.

Patented Feb. 1, 1910.

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Cummins wAsHmawN n c J. CLARK.

COTTON PLANTEB. APPLICATION FILED JULY 22, 1909,

Patented Feb. l, 1910.

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ANDREW. B, GRAHAM co momumoamwuins. WASHING JOHN CLARK, OF MOUNT JULIET,TENNESSEE.

oor'roN-PLANTnit.

Application filed July 22,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOI-IN CLARK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mount Juliet, in the county of Wilson and State ofTennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCotto1iPla1iters, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in cotton planters and moreparticularly one adapted for simultaneously planting two or more rows ofcotton seed.

The objects of the invention are to provide a simple and practicalmachine of this character having means whereby two or more rows ofcotton seed may be planted at dierent distances from each other,improved means for simultaneously adjusting` the furrow opening devicesand the seed dropping mechanisms toward and from each other and improvedadjustable furrow closing scrapers.

IVith the above and other' objects in view,

' the invention consists of the novel features of construction and thecombination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully de scribed andclaimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure1 is a plan view of the improved three row cotton planter; Fig. 2 is avertical longitudinal sectional view taken on the plane indicated by theline 2-2 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a front elevation with the draft tongueremoved; Fig. 4 is a side elevation; Fig. 5 is a detail perspective Viewof one of the side hoppers; Fig. 6 is a similar view of the connectingbar by means of which the hoppers are secured in adjusted position andFig. 7 is a perspective view of the adjustable furrow closing Scrapers.

The main frame of the machine consists of two outer side beams 1, twoinner side beams 2 and two pairs of connecting bars 3, 3, 4, 4. The endsof the bars 3, 4 are se cured to the beams 1 and the ends of the beams 2are secured to the bars 4. The beams 2 are further united by aconnecting bar 5 and by a platform bar or plank 6. The latter hasmounted upon it a drivers seat 7 and the front connecting bars 3 havesecured to and projecting forwardly from them bearings 8 for the pivotsof the rear cross bar 9 of the draft tongue 10. Ar-

ranged between the beams 1, 2 are supporting and drive wheels 11 whichare xed tol Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1, 1910.

1909. serial No. 508,992.

axles 12 journaled in suitable bearings on said beams.

In the preferred embodiment ofthe invention three seed ho pers 13, 14,15 are mounted on the main rame, the intermediate hopper 14 beingstationary and the two end hoppers 13, 15 being laterally adjustable onthe frame toward and from the intermediate one. Each of these hoppersconsists ofan upper portion or body having a reduced or tapered lowerend 16 which projects between the front connecting bar 4 and the bar 5.Said tapered or funnel-shaped lower end 16 of the hopper is provided atits rear with a supporting rib 17 which rests and slides upon the bar 5and upon its front with a forwardly projecting arm 18 which rests'andslides upon the bars 4, and has a downwardly and rearwardly turnedportion 19 surrounding said bars 3. The hopper 13 is adjusted by meansof an upright hand lever 20 pivoted at its lower end on one of the beams1 and connected by a link 21 to the outer side ofsaid hopper 13. Thehopper 15 is similarly adjusted by a similar hand lever 22 and aconnecting link 23, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. In eachof said hoppers is arranged an apertured or slotted bottom plate 24through the opening of which the cotton seed is adapted to be forced byagitator fingers or teeth 25 projecting radially from one of two rockshafts 26, 27. The rock shaft 26 is loosely journaled for a limitedsiding as well as oscillatory movement in the side walls of the hopper13 and its outer end has xed upon it a crank `arm 28 which is connectedby a link 29 to a crank arm 30 on one of the axles 12. The other rockshaft 27 extends through and is slidable in bearing openings in the sidewalls of the other two hoppers 14, 15 and its outer end has fixed to ita similar crank arm 31, which latter is connected by a link 32 to acrank 33 on the other axle 12. Owing to this construction, it will beseen that the movement of the ground wheels 11 will be imparted to therock shafts 26, 27 for the purpose of oscillating them and that the twoendmost hoppers 13, 15 will be adjustable longitudinally on said shafts.

The discharge openings in the bottom plates 24 of the hoppers arecontrolled by valve plates 34 which are pivoted intermediate their ends,as shown at 35, on the ribs 17 and `having their outer ends provided 1with reduced pivot portions 36 which are loosely arranged in aperturesin the lower ends of upright adjusting levers 37. These levers arepivoted intermediate their ends on rearwardly extending pivot pins 38fixed to and projecting from the rear walls of the hoppers. Each of saidlevers is provided with an opening containing a set screw 39 which whenscrewed inwardly or forwardly is adapted to impinge against the upperportion of the rear wall of one of the hoppers to retain said lever inadjusted position.

For the purpose of securing` the adjustable hoppers 13, 15 in adjustedposition and against movement a connecting bar 40 is provided. Thelatter, as shown in Fig. 6, has a central opening 41 for the receptionof the pivot pin 38 on the intermediate hopper 14 and .adjacent its endsare longitudinal slots 42 in which latter the pivots 38 on the slidinghoppers 13, 15 are arranged. Set screws 43 are provided in openings inthe connecting bar 40 adjacent its ends and they vare so .disposed as toimpinge against the rear walls of the adjustable hoppers 13, 15 to clampthe latter against movement.

Carried by each of the hoppers is a standard 44 having a furrow openingshoe 45. The latter may be of any form and construction but asillustrated it is tapered and inclined downwardly and forwardly and hasjournaled on one of its sides a disk 46. The standard 44 extends throughand is vertically adjustable in registering openings formed in theportions 18, 19 of the forwardly projecting arms on the hoppers. Thisadjustment of the standard 44 is effected by providing in it alongitudinal series of apertures 47 anyone of which receives atransverse pin 48 against which bears a spring 49. The latter has itsrear end fixed to the rear port-ion of the arm 18 and its front endapertured to receive the standard 44 so that it will tend to actuate thelatter downwardly. The several standards 44 are simultaneously raisedand lowered by means of cables 50 attached at their lower ends to theupper ends of said stand ards and having their upper ends attached toand wound upon a transverse winding shaft 51 journaled in bearings onupriglits 52 rising from the connecting bars 3. At one end of the shaft51 is xed a ratchet wheel 53 carrying a crank handle 54 and adapted tobe locked against retrograde movement by a spring actuated dog or pawl55dpivoted to one of said uprights or standar s.

56 denotes a acking roller having at its ends journals 5 arranged forrotaryY and sliding movement in slots 58 formed in hangers 59 dependingfrom the inner Vside beams 2.

60, 6l, 62 denote a pair of furrow closing Scrapers arranged to travelin rear of the rollers 56, one being Jrovided to travel in rear of eachof the urrow opening shoes 45. The intermediate scraper 61 is carried bythe central portion of a transverse bar 63 and the endmost scrapeis 60,62 are longitudinally adjustable on the ends of said bar 63. Each of theadjustable Scrapers or coverers has fixed to it a handle member 64 theforked lower end of which straddles the bar 63 and receives one of saidScrapers between it. Set screws 65 are provided in the handle bars onthe members 64 for the purpose of securing them and hence the scrapers60, 62 in adjusted position. The bar 63 is yieldably supported from therear ends of the outer side beams l by means of springs 66, as moreclearly shown in Fig. 4, and said bar 63 is supported and verticallyadjusted by means of a hand lever 67 pivoted intermediate its ends on abracket rising from the rear cross bar 4 and having its rear endconnected by a cable or the like 68 to the central part of the bar 63.The forward or handle end of the lever 67 is provided on one side with adog or pawl 69 adapted to engage ratchet teeth 70 provided on thestandard for the drivers seat 7, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2 of thedrawings.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention provides anexceedingly simple machine of the character described for planting one,two or three rows of cotton seed or the like and that by reason of theconstruction and adjustment of the various parts the rows may be plantedcloser to or farther from each other and the parts ma)7 be adapted foreffectively operating upon different kinds and conditions of soil.

Vhile I have shown and described in detail the preferred embodiment ofmy invention, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited tothe precise construction set forth since vaiious changes in the form,proportion aiid arrangement of parts may be resorted to within thespirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

1. In a seed planter, the combination of a supporting frame having aguiding means, a stationaryihopper on the frame, a second hopperslidably engaged with said guiding means'and movable toward and fromsaid stationary hopper, means for adjusting said slidable hopper, aground wheel mounted in the frame, a crank actuated by said wheel, anagitator shaft mounted in bearings in said slidable and stationaryhoppers, the slidable hopper being shiftable longitudinally on saidagitator shaft, a crank on the outer end of said agitator shaft, and alink connecting the two cranks.

2. In a seed planter, the combination of a supporting frame having frontand rear pairs of spaced transverse guide bars, hoplOO pers slidablysupported on the rear pair of bars and movable toward and from eachother, hook-shaped members projecting from said hoppers and around thefront pair of bars, shoes having standards projecting through andvertically slidable in said hook-shaped members and disposed between thebar-s of the front pair, and means for adjusting the endmost hopperstoward and from the intermediate one, and simultaneously shifting saidshoes.

3. In a seed planter, the combination of a supporting frame having frontand rear pairs of spaced transverse guide bars, hoppers slidablysupported on the rear pair of bars and movable toward and from eachother, hook-shaped members projecting from said hoppers and around thefront pair of bars, shoes having standards projecting through andvertically slidable in said hook-shaped members and disposed between thebars of the front pair, an elevated winding shaft mounted in suitablebearings and disposed above said standards, and cables wound upon saidshaft and connected to the upper ends of said standards.

4. In a seed planter, the combination of a supporting frame having frontand rear pairs of spaced transverse guide bars, hoppers slidablysupported on the rear pair of bars and movable toward and from eachother, hookshaped members projecting from said hoppers and around thefront pair of bars, slices having standards projecting through andvertically slidable in said hook-shaped members and disposed between thebars of the front pair, pins in the upper ends of said standards, leafsprings upon said hook-shaped members and adapted t0 bear upon said pinsto move the latter downwardly, a winding shaft mounted in suitablebearings and disposed above said standards, and cables wound upon saidshaft and attached to the upper ends of said standards.

5. In a seed planter, the combination of a supporting frame having frontand rear pairs of spaced transverse guide bars, hoppers slidablysupported on the rear pair of bars and movable toward and from eachother', hook-shaped members projecting lfrom said hoppers and around thefront pair of bars, shoes having standards projecting through andvertically slidable in said hook-shaped members and disposed between thebars of the front pair, means connected to the upper ends of saidstandards for adjusting them vertically, means for adjusting the endmosthoppers toward the intermediate one, a transverse bar, and set screws insaid bar and adapted to impinge against said endmost hoppers to retainthem in adjusted position.

6. In a seed planter, the combination of a supporting frame having frontand rear pairs of spaced transverse guide bars, hoppers slidablysupported on the rear pair of bars and movable toward and from eachother, hook-shaped members projecting from said hoppers and around thefront pair of bars, shoes having standards projecting through andvertically slidable in said hook-shaped members and disposed between thebars of the front pair, supporting and drive wheels for said frame,cranks actuated by said wheels, longitudinally alined 'agitator shaftsmounted in bearings in said hoppers, one of said shafts extendingthrough two of the hoppers and having the endmost hopper shiftablethereon, cranks upon the outer ends of said agitator shaft, and linksconnecting the cranks at the sides of the machine.

7. In a seed planter, the combination of a frame, hoppers thereon andmovable toward andfrom each other, a horizontal bar, and set screws insaid bar and adapted to impinge against the endmost hoppers to retainthem in adjusted position.

8. In a seed planter, the combination of a frame, hoppers arrangedthereon, furrow opening shoes in advance of said hoppers, springsattached to the rear side portions of the frame and extendingrearwardly, a transversely extending scraper carrying bar attached tosaid springs, a standard upon the frame, a seat on said standard, aratchet upon said standard, a lever fulcrumed intermediate its ends andadapted to engage said ratchet, and a. connection between one and ofsaid lever and said scraper carrying 9. In a seed planter, thecombination of a frame, hoppers transversely adjustable thereon, ayieldably mounted, transversely extending bar at the rear of the frame,adjustable scrapers, upright handle members for said Scrapers, saidhandle members having forked lower ends to straddle said bar and toreceive said scraper bar between their lower extremities, and set screwsin said handle members and adapted to impinge against said transversebar to retain the Scrapers in adjusted position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afx my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN CLARK. `Witnessesz A. W. SI-IINGLETON, WV. IV. MAJOR.

